As integrated circuit technology has improved, substantially greater functionality has been incorporated into devices. Along with this expanded functionality, the size of devices has diminished resulting in higher clocking frequencies and increased power consumption. As a consequence, the integrated circuit devices of today generate more heat while possessing smaller surface areas to dissipate the heat. Therefore, it is important to have a high rate of heat transfer from the integrated circuit package to maintain the temperature of the integrated circuit within safe operating limits. Excessive heat may adversely affect the performance of the circuit, cause permanent degradation of its components and increase failure rates.
A heat exchange with a heat sink may be used for transferring heat away from a heat source, such as an electronic component or printed circuit board (PCB), to maintain the component within an optimum operating temperature range, so that the component can operate continuously and with maximized efficiency. Often, the heat sink used is a special plate, called a cold plate, that contains slots for holding individual PCBs. The PCBs are held in place by a retainer, which is generally a thermally conductive metal block that is fastened along the PCB to create a point of thermal conduction with the cold plate. The retainer, along with the PCB, is placed into a slot of the cold plate.
Prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,713 to Weisman, provides a retainer for holding a single card in the slots of a cold plate with a rail mounted to either the module or the holder and wedge shaped bodies to be slid over the rail, attaching the rail to the cold plate, thereby providing a surface for thermal conduction. However, these devices are expensive, require an enclosure to be designed specifically to accommodate the retainer and mandate that the retainer is fixed per manufacturer instructions, which may not work for all enclosure designs. Further, if multiple cards are present, each card must be individually unfastened before removal from the enclosure, which is a time-consuming and cumbersome process that may involve numerous screws, washers and other pieces.